My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga -- Review

Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes

Author: Jasmine Warga

Publisher: February 10th 2015 by HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray

Pages: 302

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner.

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

Review:

This novel is a little different from most novels out there. It is much darker than the books that I typically read, but even in its darkness, there was a lot of light. The characters were witty and likeable as well as diverse and complicated. I was hooked from the beginning and found myself constantly asking, “How is this going to end? Is this going to rip my heart out?”

Aysel and Roman are both teens going through life with a lot of weight on their shoulders. They turn to each other in order to end their lives, but begin to find that there might be a few things in life worth living for. This novel is beautifully written and sheds some light on the topic of depression in a way that people who do not understand it can gain a better grasp. Depression is something that is inside of a person and it can affect anyone. I love that Warga has written a book for young adults about such an intense topic. Mental illnesses are often misunderstood and are not talked about frequently enough. Warga did a fantastic job with the topic. She talked about dark subjects but kept it upbeat and readable.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it should be added to every young reader’s “To Be Read” list. It is thought provoking, sweet, and witty. I enjoyed Warga’s writing style and plan on reading more of her books in the future.

Rating 4/5